The Administration's Devastating Attacks on Immigrant Children Continue

There’s been no letup in the administration’s attacks on immigrant children and families. Children—whether they arrive at our border alone or with family—continue to face new threats intended to deny them the ability to ask for protection or to have a fair chance when they do. Here’s what’s happening.

In July, the administration announced its latest and most dramatic plan to stop people from seeking asylum in the United States. The policy, known as the Asylum Ban 2.0, denies everyone—including children—an opportunity to request asylum if they traveled through any other country to reach our border, without first applying for asylum in that country. But many of the countries children and adults pass through before reaching the U.S. are patently unsafe or have no systems in place to hear children’s asylum claims. In contrast, the U.S. has an established system for hearing claims from asylum seekers and provides children with specific protections when they seek asylum—a right that Congress and the federal courts have protected. The new policy is the administration’s latest effort to deny access to that system, even though the policy will effectively ban the vast majority of people from seeking asylum at our border and will unquestionably result in children being sent back to danger. Learn more.

Attacks on sanctuary cities continue to terrorize our communities. In a White House Press Briefing in late September, the Acting Director of ICE called out sanctuary cities, such as those that exist in Illinois, New York, California, and Pennsylvania, for failing to collaborate with the agency to arrest community members solely for administrative immigration violations. Within days, ICE conducted raids in a number of sanctuary communities, arresting dozens. The effects of these raids are devastating—particularly for children. ICE raids often leave children waiting at school for parents who can’t pick them up; the raids lead to family separation and cause trauma for children. Learn more about the impact of raids on school children in this powerful piece.

In perhaps its most explicit statement against the principles on which this country was founded, the administration announced in late September that the U.S. will cut the number of refugees welcomed to the country to just 18,000 people—down from 85,000. This is the smallest number of refugees we’ve welcomed to the U.S. Ever. The refugee program, which supports people who satisfy the definition of asylum and who are extensively vetted by international organizations and U.S. authorities for resettlement, flourished under administrations of both political parties for more than three decades. This drastic and unnecessary change endangers the lives of families escaping war and other violence, and will cause irreparable harm to our country’s reputation. Learn more.

Amidst these continued attacks on children’s rights, we’re glad to share one piece of good news. On September 27, a federal judge blocked the government's effort to end the Flores Settlement Agreement in a rare victory for immigrant children’s rights. The Flores Agreement prevents the indefinite detention of children (yes, we need a legal agreement enforced by a federal court to make sure the government doesn’t lock up children indefinitely) and establishes basic standards for care of children in custody and their release to family while their cases proceed in immigration court. Learn about Young Center’s advocacy to save Flores.

You can join us in fighting the relentless barrage of attacks on immigrant children’s rights. Join local protests against these assaults on migrant children and families. Write op-eds and letters to your local papers. Raise awareness in your community through social media and personal conversations with your friends, families, and elected officials. And please consider contributing to our fight for the rights and best interests of children.

For more than two years, children have served as this administration’s primary target for anti-immigrant rhetoric. Your support has made it possible to stand with children and their families and fight back. Thank you.